The Phantom of the Opera

Considered to be the most successful and longest running musical in the world, this masterpiece from Andrew Lloyd Webber celebrated its 25th anniversary last year.  Starting last month, this amazing show about a Phantom obsessed with a young opera singer can be seen at the Cultural Center of the Philippines.  I was very privileged to be able to watch the show.  We bought our tickets as early as July as we were overly excited to see this live.  It was also the first musical that I watched, and I must say the show really set the bar high.

We got the matinee show, and arrived there about an hour early.  We used this time to look around and of course, take a lot of pictures.  Cameras are not allowed inside the theatre but thank goodness for camera phones!

Sister and Jocar

Beautiful cousins Romina and Bernadette

Bf and me

Our bodyguards.

I also took advantage of this time to buy some souvenir items being sold at the lobby.  These are a bit pricey, but hey, we'll never know if I'll have this opportunity again.

The program sold for 500 pesos.

Charm bracelet sold for 1000 pesos.

There were also a lot of displays about the play.  At the second floor, there  were posters containing information about the history of the play as well as some trivia.  On one corner, there was also a display of the costumes of both Phantom and Christine.  This got us even more excited!

Christine and Phantom's costumes.  My favorite one is the white robe.

Seated at the Balcony, we saw on the stage something big, covered with what looked like rags.  I knew for sure that was the famous chandelier that fell in the movie.  Ack!  So exciting!  But before that, we purchased this paper binoculars so we can see the characters on the stage better.

Finally, it was time for the show!  Goosebumps all over as the Overture played, the stage backdrop was revealed, and the chandelier raised to the roof.  Definitely, definitely a sight to behold!  I'm still having the chills as I am typing right now.  You have to see how they transformed the stage to make-shift opera house.

The show was full of effects that tickled our imagination.  I'm really glad we already have advanced technology that helped bring out the best in the production.  From the voice of Phantom roaming around the theater, to the illusion of the underground lake lit by candles, everything was just perfect!  And the ending scene will blow your mind! We were also lucky enough that we the actors that performed were the main cast.  I just wished I had the money to watch again (somebody treat me with Orchestra tickets please).

We had a funny and kilig experience after that.  While we were having dinner at Teriyaki Boy in Harbour Square, we can't help but notice that a lot of foreigners were there as well.  Dear me, it was the cast!  There was Carlotta, Meg, and Raoul!  He even opened the door for me and I didn't notice (gutom mode kasi eh)!  Least to say, we were not able to eat properly.  Hahaha!  But because we were so star struck and super shy, we were not able to take a picture or autograph.  Oh well, I was glad we had that experience.  It was certainly a day to remember.

If you have some money to spend, I really recommend to go and watch the show.  It was really worth it!!!  And due to the overwhelming response from the Manila crowd, they added 16 more shows extended until October 14. Time to surrender yourself to the music of the night.